In the game of golf, the winner is determined to be the player that expended the least number of club swings to place the ball in each of eighteen cups of a golf course. As such, it is of paramount important for a golfer to develop a consistent and precise swing, commonly referred to a stroke.
If a consistent stroke is important in the game of golf, then it is often argued that the aspect of putting benefits the most from this consistency. The object of the putting stroke is to strike the ball with the face of the putter club so that the ball travels in the intended line toward the golf cup. Typically, this requires that the face of the putter be precisely perpendicular to the intended path of the ball and that the face of the putter be maintained in this proper perpendicular orientation throughout the putting stroke.
Developing a consistent putting stroke and maintaining the putter face in a perpendicular orientation is one of the most challenging aspects of the game. The human body is comprised of more joints that pivot and rotate during the putting stoke than is convenient to enumerate. Training the various muscles that control these joints to move in a consistent fashion is one recognized way to develop and maintain a consistent putting stroke.
While there are devices and methods that aim to train the golfer to swing the putter in a consistent manner throughout the stroke, they are limited in certain aspects that prevent them from having universal application. Putting guide devices in the prior art are either incompatible with all types and styles of golf putters, or they are unable to accommodate the various body types and postures of golfers. These limitations require golfers and golf trainers to buy multiple training devices in order to find one that is beneficial to a particular golfer. Frequently, a golfer's body composition and posture change over time requiring further training device experimentation.
Therefore, a need exists for a novel putting guide apparatuses and methods that are capable of training the various muscles and joints employed during the putting stroke to move in a consistent fashion. There also exists a need for a putting guide apparatus that can be attached to all of the widely varied types of golf putters available. Finally, there exists a need for a putting guide apparatus that can be used by golfers with infinitely varied body types and postures.